Author: Steven Rondina

Whether they come out and say it or not, most UFC fighters are delighted about the rumored return of Brock Lesnar. The WWE universal champion (and former UFC heavyweight champ) is big business, and most want a cut of the proceeds.
One of the few agains…

Whether they come out and say it or not, most UFC fighters are delighted about the rumored return of Brock Lesnar. The WWE universal champion (and former UFC heavyweight champ) is big business, and most want a cut of the proceeds.

One of the few against that seems to be Stefan Struve. The veteran heavyweight spoke with Submission Radio on Thursday and tore into the Beast Incarnate, questioning whether he even belonged in the UFC in 2017.

“I think cheaters should not be in the UFC,” he said (h/t MMA Mania for the transcription). “And I think the UFC made a big mistake last time by bringing Lesnar in and giving him a four-month exemption before his fight so that USADA wouldn’t test him for four months, which is a normal thing to do if you bring back a fighter.”

The UFC’s anti-doping arrangement with USADA states that fighters returning from retirement require four months of drug screening before stepping into the Octagon. Eyebrows were raised last year, however, when the UFC gave Lesnar a special exemption that ensured he could compete in a blockbuster fight at UFC 200 just months after using that exact clause to threaten an at-the-time rebellious Conor McGregor.

That frustration turned out to be justified when news broke that Lesnar had failed two drug tests surrounding his homecoming.

While that series of events remains a source of controversy to this day, rumors about a Lesnar return have been swirling over the last month. While it’s not yet clear if that will happen, the idea of a bout between Lesnar, who was UFC heavyweight champ from November 2008 to October 2010, and UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones has captured the imaginations of fans and pundits alike. Struve, however, doesn’t see that as much of a contest.

“I think Jones beats him anyway. Simple as that. Jones is too good of an athlete,” he said. “I don’t think Lesnar gets a hold of him to take him down. Jones moves too well.”

If Lesnar does commit to a UFC return, fans will likely have to wait until early 2018 to see it. Anyone wanting to see him in the meantime, however, can watch him in a Fatal 4-Way match with Samoa Joe, Roman Reigns and Braun Strowman at SummerSlam on August 20.

Look, I know what you’re thinking, and you’re completely right. On paper, Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Conor McGregor is one of the most egregious mismatches in the history of combat sports.
Mayweather is 49-0 in the ring, with clean wins over many of the …

Look, I know what you’re thinking, and you’re completely right. On paper, Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Conor McGregor is one of the most egregious mismatches in the history of combat sports.

Mayweather is 49-0 in the ring, with clean wins over many of the best boxers of his generation, including Oscar De La Hoya, Juan Manuel Marquez and Manny Pacquiao. Peppered in there are a slew of accolades, including an Olympic bronze medal, numerous display cases of championship titles and countless Boxer of the Year awards.

McGregor, meanwhile, is 0-0. Despite achieving amazing things in mixed martial arts, he has no professional or amateur boxing experience.

By almost every metric, Mayweather has an insurmountable advantage over McGregor in a strictly stand-up fight. The key word there, of course, is “almost.”

Believe it or not, there are a handful of areas where the UFC lightweight champ bests Mayweather. With that in mind, it’s worth discussing what advantages McGregor has and how they could maybe, just maybe, lead him to a win on August 26 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

August 26’s Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Conor McGregor bout has captured the world’s attention in a way few fights have, but while it may feel like a once-in-a-lifetime matchup, “what if” questions involving different combat sports disciplines are a 100-y…

August 26’s Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Conor McGregor bout has captured the world’s attention in a way few fights have, but while it may feel like a once-in-a-lifetime matchup, “what if” questions involving different combat sports disciplines are a 100-year-old tradition.

From spectators clamoring for a match between wrestling legend Ed “Strangler” Lewis and elite pugilist Jack Dempsey in the 1920s, to the mixed rules contests in the 1960s and 1970s that planted the seeds of MMA, fans have always been willing to line up to find out what would happen if a boxer faced off with an opponent from another fighting style.

With The Money Fight quickly approaching, let’s take a look back at the various contests that have pitted boxer against martial artist. Some of these have taken place in 56,000-seat arenas. Some have happened in smoky local theaters. All of them, however, have given an answer to the “what ifs” of the time.

Anthony “Rumble” Johnson is willing to give the UFC’s anemic light heavyweight division a much-needed boost…but not for free. The former light heavyweight contender spoke with MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani on Monday to discuss life after retirement an…

Anthony “Rumble” Johnson is willing to give the UFC’s anemic light heavyweight division a much-needed boost…but not for free. The former light heavyweight contender spoke with MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani on Monday to discuss life after retirement and named his terms for ending it.

“I’m kind of on the fence,” Johnson said of The MMA Hour podcast on the idea of a comeback (h/t MMA Fighting‘s Peter Carroll). “It would have to be worth it for me financially because I have so much going on already. If I did come back, it would just be to fight the legend Jon Jones.”

Rumble announced his sudden retirement from the sport immediately after his loss to Daniel Cormier at UFC 210 in April. While the move made sense on some levels—it was Johnson’s second loss to the champion—it left a huge void in the UFC’s light heavyweight division. The successful return of Jon Jones at UFC 214 Saturday, however, could allow Johnson to return to a title shot in early 2018.

Jones vs. Johnson has been an intriguing fight for years now. The two were set to face off at UFC 187 in 2015, but Jones’ infamous hit-and-run incident saw him pulled from the card and replaced with Cormier. Still, the matchup remains an intriguing one and would be a fun way to start Jones’ second reign as champion.

That said, the novelty of holding a UFC title isn’t enough to lure Johnson back. “Just be real with me and give me what I’m worth,” he said later in the interview. “I know that we are going to pull in crazy numbers if we do this, so pay us what we’re worth.”

At this time, it seems like the UFC and Jones are both angling for a superfight with former UFC heavyweight champion (and current WWE Universal champion) Brock Lesnar. There are many hurdles standing in the way of that contest, however, and if it falls through? We may finally see Jones vs. Rumble.

UFC 214 was a grand event, but unfortunately, the combat sports world now begins its descent into the madness that is Conor McGregor vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr. Forgotten in that is UFC 215. The full card stands as follows:

Demetrious Johnson vs. Ray Bo…

UFC 214 was a grand event, but unfortunately, the combat sports world now begins its descent into the madness that is Conor McGregor vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr. Forgotten in that is UFC 215. The full card stands as follows:

Demetrious Johnson vs. Ray Borg

Amanda Nunes vs. Valentina Shevchenko

Junior dos Santos vs. Francis Ngannou

Neil Magny vs. Rafael dos Anjos

Jeremy Stephens vs. Gilbert Melendez

Henry Cejudo vs. Wilson Reis

Ilir Latifi vs. Tyson Pedro

Sara McMann vs. Ketlen Vieira

Gavin Tucker vs. Rick Glenn

Ashlee Evans-Smith vs. Sarah Moras

Arjan Bhullar vs. Luis Henrique

Kajan Johnson vs. Adriano Martins

Mitch Clarke vs. Alex White

The UFC seems bearish on how well the card can perform when millions are likely to throw down $100 for the bonkers boxing match, and as such, it has packed the card with fights that carry weight with the hardcore fans.

Atop the card is the flyweight title fight between Demetrious Johnson and Ray Borg, a bout that could see Johnson shatter the seemingly unbreakable record for consecutive UFC title defenses. The co-main event is no slouch either, as Amanda Nunes rematches Valentina Shevchenko with the women’s bantamweight title on the line. The undercard, meanwhile, is chock-full of former champions and contenders looking to gain momentum for another shot at gold.

The card is more than a month away, set for September 9, but it’s worth taking a good look at it in advance, just as a reminder of what the UFC has in store for fans after the circus on August 26.

“Anything can happen in MMA” is a cliche, but it wouldn’t have survived this long if it weren’t accurate. Over the many years of the UFC’s existence, fans have seen things so absurd and so spectacular that they pushed the boundaries of what seemed poss…

“Anything can happen in MMA” is a cliche, but it wouldn’t have survived this long if it weren’t accurate. Over the many years of the UFC’s existence, fans have seen things so absurd and so spectacular that they pushed the boundaries of what seemed possible in combat sports.

The Octagon has played host to a number of jaw-dropping moments—knockouts in particular. With that in mind, Bleacher Report’s Steven Rondina and Nathan McCarter are here to sift through recent UFC history and pick out some of the most shocking UFC knockouts.